#4: The Internet Shutdown is a Form of Government Corruption

I learned why the internet was shut down in Uganda during the election from a conversation with the hotel manager where I was staying. What he shared with me was not an official explanation, nor something I can independently verify. It was his opinion, offered quietly and with caution. He asked that I not share his name, explaining that there is no true freedom of speech in Uganda and that criticizing the government could result in abduction, imprisonment, or worse. That warning alone shaped how seriously I took what he said.

According to him, the shutdown had little to do with fraud concerns and everything to do with power. Uganda has had the same president, Yoweri Museveni, for roughly forty years. The manager, who was in his thirties, told me he has only ever known one president. Museveni, he explained, holds enough influence over parliament to extend term limits and abolish age limits, allowing him to remain in power well into his eighties. One mechanism he allegedly uses to secure that power is controlling the flow of information, particularly by shutting down the internet before, during, and after elections. “Money, power, and injustice,” the manager said. “Welcome to Africa.”

Museveni argues that voter fraud can occur through online systems which is why the internet must be shut down. Accordingly, the manager acknowledged that concerns about election integrity are not entirely unfounded. But he insisted that this was not the real reason for the shutdown. In his view, the primary goal is to prevent people—especially young people—from organizing and sharing information online. Most youth, he said, do not support the current president, and social media gives them a way to communicate, mobilize, and dissent. Turning off the internet silences that opposition. In his words, it is meant to keep one man in power, not to protect democracy.

The consequences of this decision extend far beyond politics. The hotel could not contact guests or view bookings. Airports, banks, SIM card companies, and countless other parts of a growing economy were disrupted. Daily life slowed to a halt. Civic participation suffered. While I want accurate elections as much as anyone else, I do not believe that achieving them by inhibiting the way of life for millions of people is justifiable. I agree with my friend that shutting down the internet to limit opposition during an election is unjust. A functioning democracy depends on shared access to information. Elections are not only about casting ballots; they are about transparency, accountability, and public trust. When communication is restricted at precisely the moment when citizens most need clarity, that trust erodes. Silence does not preserve order. It destabilizes it.

At the end of our conversation, he told me that America is the best country in the world because of its freedom of speech. I felt too jaded to say the same, but I understood why he felt that way. If I had grown up knowing only one president, only one political reality, and only conditional speech, I might idolize any country that protected dissent as fiercely as the United States claims to. As an American, I am realizing how much I take freedom of speech for granted. This one conversation made that painfully clear.